The Seattle Mariners are one of the most interesting teams in Major League Baseball as the July 31st deadline looms closer. With one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Mariners could use another potent power bat to go along with MVP frontrunner Cal Raleigh. Raleigh has put the Mariners’ offense on his back during the first half of the season. He leads MLB with 38 home runs and 82 RBIs. Cal Raleigh is having one of the best seasons of all time out of the catcher position.
In a trade deadline report recap, USAToday’s Bob Nightengale announced today that the Seattle Mariners have expressed interest in Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor.
What is the Mariners’ Deadline Outlook?
The Seattle Mariners sit at 50-45, and are right in the thick of things in the American League Wild Card race. However, as teams become increasingly comfortable working around Cal Raleigh, forcing other hitters in the Mariners lineup to beat them is cause for concern and provides a good reason for Seattle to acquire another power bat, such as Josh Naylor.
Naylor, who joined the Diamonbacks this season, is hitting .295 with 11 home runs and 58 RBIs. He was an All-Star in 2024 after hitting 31 home runs and driving in 108 runs for the Cleveland Guardians. While the power stroke isn’t as apparent this year, Naylor is still a strong lefty slugger, which this Mariners lineup lacks.
Steve Adams of MLBTraderumos.com provided some insight into the Mariners’ possible deadline strategy and why they were handcuffed in the offseason:
“The Mariners needed offense throughout the winter but were afforded little to no financial resources to make it happen,” Adams wrote. “Dipoto and Hollander dealt with substantial payroll restrictions for a second straight winter, reportedly trying to stretch a budget of about $15-16MM to acquire as many as three different bats.
The resulting additions — Jorge Polanco, Rowdy Tellez, Donovan Solana — haven’t paid off much. Polanco has been quite productive but has been relegated to DH duty for much of the season due to injuries. Tellez was released last month. Solano has hit better over the past five weeks, but has been a liability for most of the year.”
What Would Naylor Cost Seattle?
As noted, Arizona signed Naylor this offseason to a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, so he is set to be a free agent after this season. A rental deal like this helps a team like the Seattle Mariners not have to give up too much prospect capital. A good return for Arizona could be shortstop prospect Felnin Celesten. The Mariners don’t have a great farm system, so another trade chip could be one of the young infielders they already have on their roster.
Regardless, this is the type of deal that Seattle needs to seriously consider if they aspire to play in October, and potentially deep into the playoffs.
The trade deadline is just a few weeks away, so look for Seattle to target a player like Josh Naylor or another lefty first baseman.
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